Jaune Arc, Single Father 19
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AndrewJTalon
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The Mistralian street festival sprawled across Vale's old harbor district like a living tapestry—red lanterns swaying overhead, the air thick with the sizzle of street vendors frying dumplings and skewering glazed pork, and the rhythmic thump of drums guiding dragon dancers through the crowd. Paper lions snapped their jaws at children, firecrackers popped in cheerful bursts, and every stall overflowed with silk scarves, jade trinkets, and sugar-dusted pastries shaped like carp and phoenixes.
Jaune had to go to a meeting of team leaders, Pyrrha had another commercial shoot, and RWBY were off on their own adventures. So Jaune had happily agreed to let Nora and Ren take Mia to the festival.
Nora carried Mia on her shoulders like a conquering general, the little girl's fluffy ears bouncing with every excited bounce. Ren walked beside them, hands in his pockets, a small, quiet smile on his face as he watched the two of the most important people in his world soak in the chaos.
"Look! Nora! Fire chicken!" Mia squealed, pointing at a vendor twirling a flaming wok of sizzling noodles.
"That's called 'stir-fried dragon whiskers,'" Nora declared, already digging in her pocket for lien. "Three bowls, extra spicy for me, mild for the tiny terror, and whatever Ren wants."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "I'll take the mild too. Someone has to keep their taste buds intact."
Mia giggled and leaned forward, hugging Nora's head. "You're the best big auntie ever!"
They ate standing up, sauce dripping down chins, Mia's cheeks puffed like a chipmunk as she tried to fit an entire pork bun in her mouth at once. Nora cheered her on like it was an Olympic event. Ren wiped Mia's face with a napkin, gentle and unhurried.
Next came the hammer game.
The stall owner—a burly Mistrali man with a braided beard—grinned when Nora stepped up, Magnhild slung casually over her shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"Think you can ring the bell, little lady?"
Nora cracked her knuckles. "Watch this."
She swung the mallet once—WHAM—the puck shot up the tower, the bell clanged so hard the whole stall rattled, and the owner's jaw dropped.
"Uh… that's… a new record," he managed, handing her the top prize: an enormous plush panda almost as big as Nora herself.
Mia clapped wildly. "Nora's the strongest!"
Ren accepted the panda with a small bow to the stunned vendor. "Thank you. She gets… enthusiastic."
They wandered on, Nora now carrying both Mia and the panda (somehow), until they reached the petting zoo corral at the festival's edge. Geese, goats, fluffy sheep, and a very dignified-looking peacock milled about in a pen of straw and low fences.
Nora set Mia down. "Go on, kitten! Say hi to the fluffy army. We'll be right here."
Mia bolted inside, immediately chasing a honking goose with delighted squeals. The goose, clearly offended, flapped away in a cloud of feathers. Mia pursued, laughing so hard she nearly tripped over her own feet.
Nora leaned on the fence beside Ren, watching with soft, unguarded fondness. The festival noise faded to a pleasant hum around them.
"I want one," Nora said suddenly, voice quieter than usual.
Ren glanced at her. "We can't steal a baby, Nora."
She elbowed him gently. "That's not what I mean, you dork."
He smiled, small and knowing. "I know what you mean."
Nora turned to face him fully, arms crossed, the panda squished between them like a fluffy chaperone. "Then why not? We're good with Mia. We're good together. We could… you know. Have our own tiny chaos gremlin."
Ren's gaze drifted back to Mia, who had finally cornered the goose and was now trying to pet it while it hissed indignantly. His expression softened, but there was a shadow there too.
"I'm not sure how to answer that yet," he admitted. "Not because I don't want it. Because… everything we do affects more than just us. And I want to be sure we're ready. Really ready."
Nora scowled, but it was the soft kind of scowl she saved only for him—the one that said she was frustrated but still loved him. "You know how I feel. I've never hidden it. Why can't you just… tell me the same?"
Ren reached over, brushing a strand of orange hair from her face. His touch lingered. "I do feel the same. I've felt it for a long time. I just… want to give any child we have the kind of certainty I never had growing up. No running. No hiding. Just… home."
Nora's scowl melted. She leaned her forehead against his. "You big sap."
Before he could reply, a triumphant shout rang out.
"Ren! Nora! Look!"
Mia came racing back, both hands cupped carefully around something. She opened them to reveal a perfect, pale goose egg, slightly warm from the sun-warmed straw.
"I found a treasure!" she crowed.
Ren crouched to her level, smiling gently. "That's very nice, Mia. But we should put it back so the mama goose doesn't get worried."
Mia pouted for half a second, then nodded. "Okay. Sorry, goose mama."
She toddled back to the pen and set the egg carefully in the straw, patting it goodbye like it was a sleeping baby. The goose honked once—almost approvingly—then waddled off.
Nora watched the whole exchange with shining eyes, then slung an arm around Ren's shoulders, pulling him close.
"See?" she whispered. "We'd be great at this."
Ren's arm came around her waist. "Yeah," he murmured. "We would."
Jaune had to go to a meeting of team leaders, Pyrrha had another commercial shoot, and RWBY were off on their own adventures. So Jaune had happily agreed to let Nora and Ren take Mia to the festival.
Nora carried Mia on her shoulders like a conquering general, the little girl's fluffy ears bouncing with every excited bounce. Ren walked beside them, hands in his pockets, a small, quiet smile on his face as he watched the two of the most important people in his world soak in the chaos.
"Look! Nora! Fire chicken!" Mia squealed, pointing at a vendor twirling a flaming wok of sizzling noodles.
"That's called 'stir-fried dragon whiskers,'" Nora declared, already digging in her pocket for lien. "Three bowls, extra spicy for me, mild for the tiny terror, and whatever Ren wants."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "I'll take the mild too. Someone has to keep their taste buds intact."
Mia giggled and leaned forward, hugging Nora's head. "You're the best big auntie ever!"
They ate standing up, sauce dripping down chins, Mia's cheeks puffed like a chipmunk as she tried to fit an entire pork bun in her mouth at once. Nora cheered her on like it was an Olympic event. Ren wiped Mia's face with a napkin, gentle and unhurried.
Next came the hammer game.
The stall owner—a burly Mistrali man with a braided beard—grinned when Nora stepped up, Magnhild slung casually over her shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"Think you can ring the bell, little lady?"
Nora cracked her knuckles. "Watch this."
She swung the mallet once—WHAM—the puck shot up the tower, the bell clanged so hard the whole stall rattled, and the owner's jaw dropped.
"Uh… that's… a new record," he managed, handing her the top prize: an enormous plush panda almost as big as Nora herself.
Mia clapped wildly. "Nora's the strongest!"
Ren accepted the panda with a small bow to the stunned vendor. "Thank you. She gets… enthusiastic."
They wandered on, Nora now carrying both Mia and the panda (somehow), until they reached the petting zoo corral at the festival's edge. Geese, goats, fluffy sheep, and a very dignified-looking peacock milled about in a pen of straw and low fences.
Nora set Mia down. "Go on, kitten! Say hi to the fluffy army. We'll be right here."
Mia bolted inside, immediately chasing a honking goose with delighted squeals. The goose, clearly offended, flapped away in a cloud of feathers. Mia pursued, laughing so hard she nearly tripped over her own feet.
Nora leaned on the fence beside Ren, watching with soft, unguarded fondness. The festival noise faded to a pleasant hum around them.
"I want one," Nora said suddenly, voice quieter than usual.
Ren glanced at her. "We can't steal a baby, Nora."
She elbowed him gently. "That's not what I mean, you dork."
He smiled, small and knowing. "I know what you mean."
Nora turned to face him fully, arms crossed, the panda squished between them like a fluffy chaperone. "Then why not? We're good with Mia. We're good together. We could… you know. Have our own tiny chaos gremlin."
Ren's gaze drifted back to Mia, who had finally cornered the goose and was now trying to pet it while it hissed indignantly. His expression softened, but there was a shadow there too.
"I'm not sure how to answer that yet," he admitted. "Not because I don't want it. Because… everything we do affects more than just us. And I want to be sure we're ready. Really ready."
Nora scowled, but it was the soft kind of scowl she saved only for him—the one that said she was frustrated but still loved him. "You know how I feel. I've never hidden it. Why can't you just… tell me the same?"
Ren reached over, brushing a strand of orange hair from her face. His touch lingered. "I do feel the same. I've felt it for a long time. I just… want to give any child we have the kind of certainty I never had growing up. No running. No hiding. Just… home."
Nora's scowl melted. She leaned her forehead against his. "You big sap."
Before he could reply, a triumphant shout rang out.
"Ren! Nora! Look!"
Mia came racing back, both hands cupped carefully around something. She opened them to reveal a perfect, pale goose egg, slightly warm from the sun-warmed straw.
"I found a treasure!" she crowed.
Ren crouched to her level, smiling gently. "That's very nice, Mia. But we should put it back so the mama goose doesn't get worried."
Mia pouted for half a second, then nodded. "Okay. Sorry, goose mama."
She toddled back to the pen and set the egg carefully in the straw, patting it goodbye like it was a sleeping baby. The goose honked once—almost approvingly—then waddled off.
Nora watched the whole exchange with shining eyes, then slung an arm around Ren's shoulders, pulling him close.
"See?" she whispered. "We'd be great at this."
Ren's arm came around her waist. "Yeah," he murmured. "We would."
